I know this is a series about iOS features, but I also want to mention how great it is that Find My is coming to macOS Catalina via the Catalyst app-translation technology. It’s a refresh that’s happening because Apple is introducing a raft of new tracking technologies that go beyond anything we’ve seen up to this point. In other words, Find My isn’t just a much-needed merging of two longstanding location-tracking apps. And reports suggest Apple’s also working on a low-power tracking device that you’ll be able to place on other objects, which will then appear in a new Items tab within Find My. That technology will allow even more precise discovery of Apple devices. Then there’s Ultra Wideband tech, which Apple is bringing to the iPhone 11. The Find My app will be a major beneficiary of this tech. It’s all encrypted to ensure privacy, but we are about to enter a world where Apple devices emit low-power Bluetooth pings in order to better let you find where they are. This is all about to change with iOS 13 and macOS Catalina, as Apple introduces new technology that will enable other Apple devices to find yours. Laptops that are asleep or off may appear, but at best the app will only show where they were the last time they were connected. AirPods will show up on the list, but it’s really only going to show the last time and location another device connected to them. This section will be a good reminder to de-associate all your old devices-as a product reviewer I have more of these than most people, but my list was still shockingly long.Īs with Find My iPhone, the Devices list is a bit scattershot, because different devices can sense location and phone home via quite different means. Here you’ll see all the devices associated with your Apple ID (and any Apple IDs associated with your family). You can get directions to the location of your friend, and add notifications to alert you when they’re arriving or departing particular locations.īut just hit that new Devices tab and… you’re essentially in Find My iPhone, but a much more modern version that’s using the same interface as the People tab. The interface has been refreshed to the style of a modern iOS app, but the features are more or less the same as before. The list also includes anyone you’re sharing your location with, even if they’re not reciprocating, so you can decide if you want to continue having that kind of a one-way relationship. At the bottom of the screen there’s a People list that lists everyone who is sharing their location with you, with their current location-and if you tap on any of them, the map view will switch to show their location. As before, “people” is defined as people in your Family Sharing group as well as anyone who has agreed to share their location with you. We can quibble about the name-I got used to it in a hurry-but I think it’s a great step forward.īy default 1 Find My opens to much the same view as Find My Friends-the app’s People tab is selected, and the map will zoom out to show people who are near you. In iOS 13, Apple has done away with both of them, replacing them with the new Find My app. They’re apps that do basically the same thing-one for your own devices, and one for the locations of people you know. Separately, Apple created Find My iPhone, a name that kept getting worse as more Apple devices gained location-sensing technology, but an app that was essential for finding lost hardware. Though a bunch of early App Store apps tried to make it happen, it didn’t really catch on for me until Apple added the feature itself as Find My Friends. Very early on the life of the iPhone, I found myself wishing for the digital equivalent of the Marauder’s Map, so I could see the locations of my friends at a glance. Find My lets me see the locations of my friends (center, right) as well as all the devices associated with my Apple ID (left). Note: This story has not been updated for several years.
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